FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2015
Sports shorts
Texas prep football
coach resigns
following scandal
SPORTS
WAR on 84
Buckaroos dominate Dawgs
ROUND ROCK, Texas
(AP) — An
assistant Texas
high school
football coach
accused of
ordering
players to
hit a referee who allegedly
hurled racial slurs during a
game has resigned, and the
head coach may also face
discipline, administrators
said Thursday.
The two players who
blindsided referee Robert
Watts and knocked him
down did not attend a fact-
¿ nding hearing in Austin
over the Sept. 4 game.
John Jay High School
head football coach Gary
Gutierrez said his former
assistant, Mack Breed, told
him he instructed players to
go after Watts in the waning
minutes of an increasingly
heated game at Marble Falls.
“I think he violated the
sanctity of what coaches
are,” Gutierrez said.
Pendleton
rebounds for
first CRC win
of season
By ERIC SINGER
East Oregonian
Bennett dislikes
playing brother
RENTON, Wash.
(AP) — Michael Bennett
dislikes playing against his
brother Martellus, so much
so that he nearly signed with
the Chicago Bears in free
agency last year to avoid
having to face him again.
The Bears travel to
Seattle on
FACES Sunday to
face Michael’s
Seahawks.
It’s just the
third time
the brothers
have had to
play against
Bennett
each other in
the regular season since
the two entered the league
— Martellus in 2008 and
Michael in 2009.
“I don’t like playing
against my brother. It’s just
hard to make your mindset
go against somebody that’s
your family,” Michael said.
Michael, a defensive
end, and Martellus, a tight
end, always played on the
same team growing up.
They played together in
high school and again at
Texas A&M. It wasn’t until
Martellus’ Dallas Cowboys
played Michael’s Tampa Bay
Buccaneers in 2011 that the
two had to line up against
each other in a game.
“Unlike the
Seahawks, we
have not lost the
game. We are
back on our feet,
we have found
a second chance
waiting and the
whole game is in
front of us.“
— Scott Blackmun
U.S. Olympic Commit-
tee CEO comparing
the choice of Boston as
a bidder for the 2024
Olympics to Seattle’s
choice to pass the ball
at the goal line at the
end of the Super Bowl
last season. The USOC
has changed its bid
to Los Angeles, which
is in the running with
Paris; Rome; Hamburg,
Germany; and Buda-
pest, Hungary.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1982 — Ricky Edwards
rushes for 177 yards and four
touchdowns to help North-
western end its 34-game
losing streak in a 31-6 victory
over Northern Illinois.
Contact us at 541-966-0838 or
sports@eastoregonian.com
1B
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Staff photo by Kathy Aney
Pendleton’s Haley Greb (4) goes up for a hit as MiKayla Kopacz (11) and Kynzee Padilla (12) get ready
to block during Thursday’s game at Warberg Court.
Pendleton
volleyball
players
celebrate
as they
win three
straight
sets against
Hermiston
Thursday
at Warberg
Court.
Volleyball
Pendleton
3
Staff photo by
Kathy Aney
Hermiston
0
The 2015 season has not gone the
way that the Pendleton Lady Bucks
volleyball squad had hoped when it
began.
A team that ¿ nished with just one
loss in the CRC and a league title
one year ago went into Thursday’s
rivalry game with Hermiston already
with two losses in their pockets.
However, Thursday night gave
fans a glimpse of the Pendleton team
of old as the Bucks dominated the
Bulldogs in a 3-0 win.
The Bucks (3-3, 1-2) did so with
a large crowd on hand, including a
loud-and-proud section of fellow
Pendleton students that were behind
the team from start to ¿ nish.
“The girls love seeing their fans
out here,” said Bucks coach Amanda
Lapp. “The students get loud, and it
helps the team get that extra inch.”
The Bucks won with set scores of
25-13, 25-8 and 25-18. Junior Haley
Greb led the Bucks offensive attack
with three kills.
In the third set, the Bucks
appeared to be running away with
the set holding a 15-3 lead. However,
that’s when the Bulldogs (3-5, 0-3)
¿ nally showed some life and went
on a 14-2 run to eventually tie the
game at 17-17.
“When the match drew towards
the end i think they were getting
tired and kind of went back to resting
on what they’ve been doing and it
showed,” said Lapp. “(The girls) are
trying to get used to staying up in a
match and keep the high intensity.”
In that set, the Bulldogs’ Hayden
See BUCKS/2B
College Football
Mountaineers host pass-happy Battlin’ Bears
Eastern Oregon
looking for second
straight home win
Rocky Mtn
Eastern Ore.
Battlin’ Bears
Mountaineers
(2-2, 1-2)
(1-3, 1-2)
• Saturday, 1 p.m.
East Oregonian
LA GRANDE — The Eastern
Oregon football team will be hoping
for another big game from corner-
back Byron Benson as it looks to
build off last week’s win, its ¿ rst of
the season.
The Mountaineers (1-3, 1-2 Fron-
tier) welcome conference foe Rocky
Mountain to Community Stadium
on Saturday for a 1 p.m. kickoff, a
game that will feature the reigning
Offensive and Defensive Frontier
Conference Players of the Week.
Benson took the defensive
honors for his seven-tackle, one
interception performance in a 33-21
win over Montana Tech in Eastern’s
home opener, and will lead the EOU
secondary against the conference’s
top passing combo in Rocky Moun-
tain quarterback Chase White and
receiver Andre McCullough.
• at Community Stadium, La Grande
• Live Audio: MyEasternOregon.com
Seth Dahle photo courtesy of Eastern Oregon University
Eastern Oregon wide receiver Jace Billingsley catches a pass
against Montana Tech in a 33-21 win on Sep. 19, 2015 in La Grande.
Billingsley leads the nation in all-purpose yards with 968. Eastern
hosts Rocky Mountain on Saturday at 1 p.m.
The tandem hooked up 11 times
for 165 of White’s season-high 449
passing yards last week in a 42-36
loss to No. 7 Carroll — earning
White this week’s top offensive
award — and the Battlin’ Bears
(2-2, 1-2) own the nation’s third-
ranked passing offense.
White has thrown for 1,270 yards
this season and is tops in the Fron-
tier Conference at 269 per game.
McCullough leads the Frontier in
receptions per game at 7.3.
Rocky Mountain’s other strength
coming into La Grande is its
defense, which is allowing 307 total
yards on average and 24.5 points a
game. By comparison, Eastern is
surrendering 35 points a game and
467 total yards.
The Battlin’ Bears’ top priority
will be limiting senior wide receiver
Jace Billingsley, who is coming off
a three-touchdown performance
against the Orediggers and leads the
See MOUNTIES/2B
Prep Roundup
Heppner, Weston-McEwen spikers sweep in league play
Culver keeps pace
at top of conference
East Oregonian
HEPPNER — The Mustangs’
recently shufÀ ed starting lineup
fared much better in its second time
out.
Showing improved passing and
communication, Heppner swept
Irrigon for its ¿ rst Columbia Basin
Conference win on Thursday.
The Mustangs won 25-12, 25-18,
25-20 and coach Dieter Waite said
Jessica Kempken was able to take
advantage of the improved passing
by leading the offense with 15 kills.
“She really kind of had some ¿ re
for us on the outside,” he said.
Onna DeLoach and Sophie
Grant each had three kills and Jacee
Currin led Heppner (8-7, 1-1 CBC)
with 13 assists.
Waite said serving was another
strong point for the Mustangs, and
Sydney Maben had a team-high six
aces. Currin had three and DeLoach
and Kaelyn Lindsay each had two.
Heppner will next host Pilot
Rock as the second of a three-game
home stand.
Irrigon (3-8, 0-2) returns home
to host Weston-McEwen, both
matches are Tuesday at 5 p.m.
CULVER 3, PILOT ROCK
0 — At Pilot Rock, Culver won for
the seventh time in eight matches to
remain undefeated in CBC play.
The Bulldogs (13-2, 2-0) won
25-15, 25-18, 25-20. No details
were reported.
It was the fourth-straight loss
for Pilot Rock (7-7, 1-1) which
will play at Heppner on Tuesday
at 5 p.m.
BAKER 3, MAC-HI 0 — At
Milton-Freewater, the Pioneers
fell short in their Greater Oregon
League opener and the Bulldogs
took the sweep 25-19, 25-15, 25-20.
Brooke Smiley had seven kills
to lead Mac-Hi (3-7, 0-1 GOL)
and Amber Well added six, but the
Pioneers were too inconsistent, said
coach Amber Wells.
“It was a tough game and the
ladies had their ups and down
tonight. We will continue to work
hard throughout the rest of the
season.”
Brooke Kralman added a team-
high eight digs.
Mac-Hi plays at La Grande on
Tuesday at 6 p.m.
WESTON-MCEWEN
3,
STANFIELD 0 — At Stan¿ eld,
the TigerScots pitched their second-
straight shutout with the win over
Stan¿ eld.
The TigerScots (12-6, 2-0) won
25-19, 25-19, and 25-17. No details
were reported.
Stan¿ eld (4-5, 0-2) hosts Imbler
today at 4 p.m. while Weston-
McEwen plays at the La Grande
Tournament on Saturday.
See PREPS/2B